THE House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has said it is unclear what steps are being taken to boost Britain’s diplomatic capability in preparation for Brexit and beyond.

Henry Bolton calls for Foreign Office improvements to better deal with the post-Brexit world

Make no mistake; the need to take such steps is immediate and critical.

The sad reality is that Britain’s diplomatic service, like the bulk of the Whitehall civil service, is woefully inadequate.

In its present state the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is almost entirely unprepared to represent and pursue our national interests during the Article 50 period and beyond our departure from the European Union.

The bulk of national policies and priorities are in fact set, for all EU member states, by the European Council and informed by the EU civil service in Brussels.

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Henry Bolton says many FCO staff don't stay there long enough or have the requisite language skills

The FCO has become an organisation staffed by Jacks of all trades who are all too frequently masters of none. If the FCO does not possess deep geographical knowledge it cannot possibly expect to deliver effective diplomacy in pursuit of British interests

Henry Bolton

This means that as long as the UK remains in the EU and as long as Brussels retains the horizon scanning, problem solving, policy development and specialist support functions for the decisions made by the European Council, the British Civil Service will remain focused on carrying out that policy; on being an implementation and administration arm of government, ruled by process and regulation.

The institutional, organisational and cultural change that membership of the EU has brought about within our civil service means that it is no longer equipped to inform British government policy.

It is unable to provide strategic solutions to complex problems. It has simply been focused on implementing EU policy made elsewhere.

At a time when ministers and indeed the entire nation require pro-active, ‘out-of-the-box’ problem solving support from their civil servants, those civil servants are instead looking to inexperienced ministers, who lack the skills and experience themselves, to tell them what to do.

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The Foreign Office must be 'forward-leaning', he says

Strategic government decision making, particularly related to leaving the European Union is thereby seriously weakened.

FCO consular responses to crises abroad, natural disasters in particular, have improved significantly over recent year, since the 2004 Thailand Tsunami. But this consular improvement has been itself undermined by a substantial reduction in the military capacity to respond in support.

There has been a significant re-focusing with in the FCO, away from the geographical expertise, knowledge and problem solving that are crucial to effective diplomacy, toward ‘management’ skills, generalist experience and administration.

The FCO has become an organisation staffed by Jacks of all trades who are all too frequently masters of none. If the FCO does not possess deep geographical knowledge it cannot possibly expect to deliver effective diplomacy in pursuit of British interests abroad post Brexit.

In recent years, foreign language skills have been considered less important, as civil servants no are longer expected to spend more than a few years in the FCO before transferring to other government departments as part of an exaggerated policy of career ‘mobility’.

Specialist skills are considered unimportant and indeed terms and conditions for specialists have been made less attractive.

The FCO of the future – the FCO we should be building now with great urgency – must be capable of supporting British interests to a degree not seen since for almost 70 years. Geographical expertise and a deep knowledge of the political, cultural, commercial and linguistic character of foreign countries must be rebuilt.

The Foreign Office has been emasculated by the increasing role of the European Commission and External Action Service in providing the framework and policy direction in foreign affairs, security and trade.

The UK, whilst an EU member state, has not been free for many years to conduct its own policy in these areas.

Brexit negotiations: UK’s key policy positions

Here is a summary of the UK’s main proposals for Brexit

The requirement for a forward-leaning, problem solving and policy development capability within our diplomatic corps has been greatly reduced by our membership of the EU.

We must reconstitute this capability if we are to project influence overseas and we must do so as a matter of the utmost urgency.

A total of 84 per cent of all FCO staff abroad are local employees i.e. non-British. The employment of foreign nationals in lead rather than support functions within our diplomatic posts must cease.

Our embassy staff around the world must be enhanced so as to be able to conduct ‘full spectrum’ diplomacy. Specialists must be recruited and employment terms and conditions must reflect the need to recruit and retain the best people, people able to establish the British diplomatic corps as the most effective and respected in the world.

Only in this way will Britain truly make a global success of its newly found independence.